Dark Days in Monkey City is an Animal Planet documentary series about the lives of wild toque macaques in Sri Lanka. In the tradition of Meerkat Manor it followed the stories of individual primates, but differed from earlier shows by adding special effects and transitional animation (in the style of comic-book panels). It was devised as part of Animal Planet's strategy to re-brand itself as an "entertainment" network. Its entire 13-episode run was broadcast in 2009. Production details NHNZ had story boarded the action in advance, and shot the macaques (on location) for a month against portable green screens. Though that green screen footage was used (combined with CGI in post production.) the original script was abandoned in favor of the animals' real behavior—according to series producer Ian McGee. After green screen filming was complete, the cameras followed the most charismatic monkeys for ten weeks in their natural habitat. Reception Most critics gave moderate recommendations, but preferred Meerkat Manor in the "docu-soap hybrid" genre, feeling Dark Days was over-produced and less credible. Many felt its "intense" visual style (indebted to 300 and Sin City) didn't match the available live action footage, and that the narration was overblown. Broadcast schedule The announced schedule was to air all 13 episodes in successive weeks on Animal Planet (starting 2009-02-24) but only two weeks (and four episodes) were shown on that initial run. All 13 episodes were broadcast later in 2009, and were released on DVD (which included a 14th, "making-of" episode). Smithsonian Primate Project This is only the latest TV series to be based on the Smithsonian Institution Primate Biology Program (PBP) in the "Monkey City", Polonnaruwa. At least two earlier series have documented the PBP's animals, including "The Temple Troop" which followed the Temple Macaques for an entire year. Dark Days in Monkey City uses footage from the PBP, which has been studying the Polonnaruwa macaques since 1968 (and is the longest continuous study of vertebrate population dynamics in a varying environment). The study's conductor, Wolfgang Dittus said, "We have promoted and participated in film documentaries on the premise that the public will conserve only that which they love, and love only that which they understand". Plot The central narrative over the series' 13 episodes is the struggle between two macaque tribes: the Black Claws, and the Temple Troop. Temple Troop The program begins with "Temple Troop", a troop of toque macaques